Jordan Telford has been sentenced to four years and seven months in prison for a late-night collision that claimed the life of 31-year-old Shemaiah Grant.
Telford, 39, of West Bay, pleaded guilty to one count of causing death by dangerous driving on 3 March, nearly two years after the 2 May 2021 fatal crash.
During an initial sentencing hearing on 20 June, senior crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson told the court that, prior to the collision, Telford had spent approximately an hour at a seaside bar along North West Point Road, in West Bay. During that time he had drunk three bottles of beer.
“The CCTV footage shows while driving along North West Point Road, he straddled the centre lane line several times. This was as a result of gross and flagrant disregard for the road rules and vulnerable road users, such as a motorcyclist,” said Ferguson.
Within minutes of leaving the bar, Telford collided with Grant while navigating a corner along North West Point Road, by Coral Gables. Telford returned a blood alcohol content reading of 0.07, which was below the then-legal limit of 0.100.
According to the prosecution, the collision occurred because Telford was texting while driving.
“WhatsApp messages downloaded from his phone show that at 8:27pm he sent a message to his girlfriend saying ‘I’m coming’, then at 8:28pm he sent another message with ‘??’” said Ferguson. “36 seconds later, he was recorded calling 911 to report the accident.”
According to the prosecution, Telford was shown images of him straddling the white centre line along the road during a police interview several days after the incident.
When asked why he was driving in that manner, he is said to have told officers, “It was in the evening, there weren’t any pedestrians and I normally drive like that during that time.”
During that questioning, Telford is said to have initially denied using his mobile phone leading up to the crash. However, when presented with WhatsApp and text messages downloaded from his phone, he accepted that he was using his phone at the time of the collision.
The court heard that 16 days prior to the accident, Telford was convicted of a separate incident of using a mobile phone while driving. Telford’s traffic convictions also include several speeding incidents and one charge of driving without insurance.
At the time of the accident, the motor insurance for the Hyundai Elantra Telford was driving had expired 10 months prior.
When delivering the sentence on Friday, 14 July, Justice Cheryll Richards said, “This offending is serious. A mere 16 days after appearing before the Summary Court for a conviction of using a mobile phone while driving, he used his phone again, not only once, but, on the evidence, multiple times.
“To make matters worse, he was driving without insurance. A harsh sentence must be passed, and it must be one of deterrence.”
Cayman’s current legislation sets out a 10-year maximum sentence for a person convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.
Richards started with a sentence of five years. She increased the sentence by 22 months, to 82 months, stating that Telford had shown a “flagrant disregard for the rules of the roads and fellow road users”.
She then reduced the sentence by one-third to 55 months to mark Telford’s guilty plea.
Richards further reduced the sentence to reflect other mitigating circumstances such as Telford’s difficult upbringing, and other personal details included in a social inquiry report.
In addition to the prison sentence, Telford has been banned from driving for seven years.
The family of Grant, a father of two, told the court they have incurred costs in excess of $39,000 since his death, and asked that the court consider making a compensation order.
However, the court declined to make such an order, citing Telford’s lack of means.
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